Totem Acoustics built its reputation on small speakers with an outsized sound, a habit reinforced by the company's tendency to demo its entry-level models rather than its flagships at hi-fi shows. The Forest sits toward that accessible end of the lineup, and reviewers have singled it out as an exceptional-value pick — earning TONEAudio's Exceptional Value Award — for its ability to deliver serious low-end and top-to-bottom coherence from a genuinely compact cabinet, on par with speakers well above its price.
Design & Engineering
The Forest is a 2-way design built around a 6.5" (165mm) woofer and a 1" (25mm) chambered aluminum dome tweeter, crossing over at 2.5kHz through a second-order network, with drivers flush-mounted and intended to be listened to without grilles. Designer Vince Bruzzese. The Totem prefers to call its speakers "columns" —gave the Forest rounded front edges and a distinctive support system: rather than conventional floor spikes, a trio of aluminum "Claws" with ball bearings arranged in a triangle decouples the cabinet from the floor.
Inside, the enclosure is sprayed with borosilicate damping material rather than stuffed with foam, and a mass-loading compartment at the base lets owners fine-tune bass character by adding sand or similar material — a step reviewers found made a real, audible difference in bass tightness. Cabinets are available in high-gloss "design" finishes (Ice, Dusk, Sky, Fire) as well as white satin and traditional wood veneers.
Technical Specifications
Nominal impedance: 6 ohms. Sensitivity: 87dB. Power handling: 50–200W. Dimensions: 7.7 x 34.3 x 10.6" (195 x 870 x 270mm).